Missouri S&T’s Formula Car team to race in Michigan

The Formula SAE team competing in 2016. Photo from the team’s Facebook page.

The Formula SAE team competing in 2016. Photo from the team’s Facebook page.

Missouri University of Science and Technology’s Formula Car Design Team will travel north to race at the Michigan International Speedway as part of the Formula SAE-Michigan competition.

The event, a national student design competition sponsored by SAE International, will be held May 10-13. The competition challenges students to design, build and operate small-scale Formula-style racecars. Missouri S&T’s team will compete against over 100 other teams from around the world.

During the competition, a skid-pad event tests the car’s turning and cornering on a figure-eight-shaped course. An acceleration test measures the car’s speed over a short distance. A one-lap autocross event proves the car’s maneuverability on a tight course and determines the starting order for the final event – an endurance race designed to test the car’s durability. In the endurance race, the car must withstand the stress of long-term driving at elevated speeds. Each race is timed to rank the teams; none of the events are head-to-head races.

Missouri S&T’s team focused on reducing the car’s weight for this year’s competition. The car features a newly redesigned aerodynamics package that helps produce approximately 400 pounds of downforce. The team also changed oil systems to an internal wet sump, which saved over 25 pounds.

“We are excited to compete, and the Michigan competition is right around the corner,” says Jarrett Harkless, the S&T team leader and a sophomore in aerospace engineering from Wentzville, Missouri. “We will also compete in Canada and Lincoln, Nebraska, this year. The team hopes to finish the season as the top American team.”